Knowledge (of Bodily and Sexual Health) Is Power
“What the heck does ‘menstrual cycle’ mean?” my guy friend asked me one day in high school. I laughed and proceeded to explain to him that the menstrual cycle is just another word for a girl’s period. He then made all the typical boy noises of moaning and groaning and twisted and contorted his face to communicate disgust. “Oh yeah, I know what a period is,” he said. “Never mind, forget I asked.”
Feeling slightly paranoid and wanting to verify that I had told him the correct information, I slyly whipped out my phone and did a quick Google search for “menstrual cycle.” Upon my search, I realized that what I had told him had been partially correct, but I had omitted the other three phases of the menstrual cycle: the follicular, ovulation, and luteal phases. I felt embarrassment creep up the sides of my face as I realized that I was entirely unknowledgeable of these phases and what they entailed, even though I had been regularly experiencing a menstrual cycle since age 12.
At the time, I attended a public high school in Michigan, where we were told that taking a health class was a requirement to graduate. This health class is dictated by Michigan’s high school health curriculum, which emphasizes “Critical Health Content Areas” including violence prevention, prevention of sexual behavior leading to HIV and STIs, and prevention of the use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs — you get the idea. A whole lot of prevention.
The curriculum also includes a section titled “Sexuality Education,” which includes topics such as laws relating to sexual behavior and medical screening for pregnancy and HIV/AIDS. Yet the curriculum excluded any mention of genital anatomy or the menstrual cycle. And if you thought you had heard the last about prevention, think again: Michigan law specifies that any instruction involving sexuality education must stress that abstinence is a positive lifestyle and an effective way to prevent pregnancy.
However, what is most notable about Michigan’s high school health curriculum is that while it places a great deal of weight on the school districts to provide adequate sex education, whether or not this responsibility is fulfilled is ultimately up to the district itself. In the fine print, the state law specifies that offering sexuality education is a decision left up to the local district’s discretion and such a class is considered an elective. In other words, sexuality education isn’t actually required to graduate.
As I reflect back on the conversation I had with my guy friend in high school, what first concerns me is the familiarity of his reaction. As a society, we have normalized the immediate reaction to the menstruation cycle to be one of disgust. And how could it be any other way? When a student is only taught how to prevent sex, they lack vital information on the anatomical and bodily processes involved. It’s easier to inspire fear surrounding what one doesn't know or understand, and it’s a small leap from fear about sex to coming to understand it as “bad.” Consequently, the negative stigma surrounding the menstrual cycle that my friend and many other young boys and grown men possess points directly to a lack of understanding of health and sexual education.
Moreover, this education gap creates the potential for people who have periods to feel confused and self-conscious about their bodies, leaving them less confident and with less sexual agency. This gap in knowledge, coupled with fear, is crucial for prevention-based sexual education: It is much more difficult to fear something when you fully understand it and have complete knowledge of how it works. A young person who understands their period and body has more bodily and sexual agency.
Unsurprisingly, my friend and I aren’t the only ones who have suffered from an education gap. A recent survey on women’s health in the U.S. found that 94% of women ages 20 and above failed a Women’s Health IQ Test, which tested them on their knowledge of topics such as menopause and breast cancer. Furthermore, the 2020 Tampax Period Education Survey found that 94% of U.S. adults didn’t know how long the average menstrual cycle is. Even more concerning was that 62% of women were unable to locate a vagina on a diagram. So, we clearly have some work to do in the health education department. But why is knowing about health and the menstrual cycle so important?
Ironically, knowing the length and the phases involved in the menstrual cycle is crucial to avoiding an unplanned pregnancy. Understanding the menstrual cycle can also help with conception in the event one decides motherhood is something they want in their future. Furthermore, a regular period is an indication of good health. On the flip side, an irregular period can indicate serious health conditions, such as hormone issues, metabolic issues, diabetes, liver problems, etc. Consequently, understanding the differences between a regular and irregular menstrual cycle is vital for people to monitor their own health and well-being.
And to those who think that the female anatomy or the menstrual cycle is a taboo topic that shouldn’t be taught in schools, I say to you: No one should feel ashamed or embarrassed about their menstrual cycle, body, or health. Approximately 26% of the global population experiences a menstrual cycle, and 50% of the global population has a vagina. Dear reader, it is a great thanks to these factors that I am alive and writing this piece and that you, too, are alive and reading it.
Where I once felt embarrassment about my lack of knowledge, I now feel sympathy. Sympathy for a young girl who didn’t receive a full education about her own body but instead was forced to learn in fragments, a puzzle formed from splintered pieces picked up from my parents, friends, and the internet. But it shouldn’t have to be this way. Girls everywhere should be able to feel empowered and confident in learning about their bodies and being able to take charge of their health. And this knowledge isn’t only important for girls: Understanding the full gender spectrum’s health and anatomy is crucial to developing empathy and simply being an understanding person. Prioritizing learning about health conveys that it is an important topic that is worthy of investing time and resources into, which will also help combat the negative stigma surrounding menstruation.
Therefore, I implore you to look into what kind of high school health education your home state provides or doesn’t provide. Many states’ sex and HIV education standards are summarized here. Then, if necessary, ask your state’s department of education to do better. It is crucial that every state’s health education curriculum requirements include sexuality education, the full gender spectrum’s health, anatomy, the menstrual cycle, and relevant health risks.
